Confused about Red Slime/Cyano origin

[JT101]

Hello all,

I was at my wits end battling the dreaded cyanobacter in my AP24. I tried scrubbing the rock while running a DE filter for 2 days (I did this at least 2x), practically starving my fish and corals of food and light, siphoning all the substrate etc. Every time I would do this, the tank would remaing free of this crap for only 2 days max, then it would SLOOOOOWLY come back.

In desparation, I - you guessed it - tried Chemi Clean Red Slime remover. Within 24 hours and SUPER-AGRESSIVE aeration via a limewood aerator (my tank looked like foam for days), I could see the gunk slowly disappearing. Within 48hrs, it was ALL gone! I mean not even a TRACE of it remained. I did a 40% WC, restarted my skimmer which as expected went into overload (I had to clean the cup 2x a day) but after about 5 days there is NO TRACE of red algae anywhere in my tank AND absolutely NO corals, crabs, fish, snails etc died from the treatment!

OK, now to my question:

I have heard some people claim that even with a treatment they have seen it come back. I don't understand why. If cyanobacter is actually a BACTERIA - and you KILL it with Chemi Clean, meaning it is GONE from your tank - how can it come back?

Thanks
John

 

[lcstorc]

Unfortunately I cannot explain the why, but I can tell you it is true that it will come back if the core problem is not addressed.
Been there, Done that More than once unfortunately. I finally got it under control using the standard methods of agressive water changes, filtration etc. There was one patch today when I did my WC but it was at the very top of the rockwork so I am sure it is a lack of flow issue and I adjusted a powerhead which should take care of it.
If the excess nutrients are there, you will get something that uses them. If it is not cyano then it will be HA or some other plague.

 

[JT101]

Unfortunately I cannot explain the why, but I can tell you it is true that it will come back if the core problem is not addressed.
Been there, Done that More than once unfortunately. I finally got it under control using the standard methods of agressive water changes, filtration etc. There was one patch today when I did my WC but it was at the very top of the rockwork so I am sure it is a lack of flow issue and I adjusted a powerhead which should take care of it.
If the excess nutrients are there, you will get something that uses them. If it is not cyano then it will be HA or some other plague.

Hi Lynne,

Thanks for your input. Unfortunately (and please don't take this the wrong way) but I am completely in disagreement with the "lack of flow" theory. I have seen in my own tank, and in several others, that cyano will grow even directly in the flow of a PH. In fact, some areas in my tank had the WORST growth in the areas with the most flow! So, I have long ago stopped believing what I have become to believe an urban legend about cyano.

I'm not sure where the excess nutrients are coming from. My RO/DI water is fine, I haven't added a single item of livestock to my tank for almost a year, and I've drastically cut down on feedings about 6-7 months ago. I would imagine that the lack of NEW, ADDITIONAL nutrient input would have caused a reduction in ANY algal growth. I remembered somewhere here where someone said that a tank can, for some reason, grow "inefficient" at processing even the EXISTING nutrients, but I don't know what triggers that - perhaps a die-off of certain crucial bacterias in the LR? I just don't know.

Thanks
John